Earlier, Trump attended a forum on combating MS-13 at a Homeland Security center in Bethpage and met with law enforcement agents to discuss immigration and the violent gang with ties to El Salvador whom he called a menace.

Advocates for immigrants organized a protest. Trump supporters were also on hand.

It was a return visit on the same topic for the president. In July of 2017, he was surrounded by law enforcement officers as he talked about fighting the MS-13 gang in Suffolk County where they were responsible for several gruesome murders.

"These are animals," he said.

Trump defended his use of the term animal just a few days ago at a White House roundtable discussion on illegal immigrants and sanctuary city policies.

"When the MS-13 comes in, when the other gang members come into our country I refer to them as animals, and guess what? I always will," he said.

Trump also met with the parents two teenage girls brutally murdered by MS-13.